Illinois e-News Release

Victor Dickson will continue to serve as Member on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.* Dickson serves as the President and CEO of the Safer Foundation, a nationally recognized organization devoted to community corrections, reentry and workforce development. Dickson’s leadership experience includes more than 20 years in the corporate sector with AT&T and Sprint where he was the National Vice President of Sales Support & Infrastructure Services. In this role, he maintained an $11B revenue stream, leading a team of more than 3500 network & systems engineers, software developers and technical account consultants, supporting national and multi-national business clients. An active member of his community, Dickson serves on the Illinois Reentry Council, the Illinois Reentry Housing Task Force, the Illinois Human Services Commission, and Co-chairs the City of Chicago Equity Advisory Council. He also served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council and Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. Dickson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Roosevelt University and a Bachelor of Theology from Life Christian University/Dan El Christian College.

Alaina Harkness will serve as a Member on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.* Harkness serves as the Executive Director of Current where she leads a team working to grow an inclusive blue economy, accelerate innovation, and solve pressing water challenges. Under her tenure, Current has helped to attract more than $20M in federal investments for water innovation to the region, launched the first real-time water quality monitoring tool for the Chicago River, and supported the commercialization of more than a dozen water startups. Previously, she served as?Managing Director for the economic development firm RW Ventures, held an urban governance fellowship at the Brookings Institution, and led urban development strategies for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and civic collaboratives at the Chicago Community Trust. Harkness?is a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and has published research and commentary for the Brookings Institution, Crain’s Chicago Business, the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, and CityLab. Harkness serves on the board of Urban Initiatives and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and a 2014 fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. Harkness received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies and Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Cynthia Ervin will continue to serve as a Member on the Executive Ethics Commission.* Ervin is the Associate General Counsel for Corporate Services and M&A and the Global Director of Real Estate at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM), a global human and animal nutrition company with its North American Headquarters in Decatur, Illinois. Prior to joining ADM in 2006, Ervin served in a number of legal positions in Illinois State government, including as General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Attorney to the Chairman for the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Assistant Attorney General, and law clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Benjamin K. Miller. She was appointed to the Executive Ethics Committee in 2019 and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Commission. Ervin earned a Bachelor of Science from Political Science from Bradley University and Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law.

Patricia Bakalis Yadgir will continue to serve as a Member on the Executive Ethics Commission.* Yadgir previously served on the Illinois Human Rights Commission where she was responsible for investigating charges of discrimination in the State. Her career in the field of education and counseling expands over 30 years. She served as a Counselor and Professor at College of DuPage for over 20 years, as Chief Administrative Officer for American Quality Schools, a not-for-profit educational management organization for 14 years. She is currently a Mental Health Therapist working with individuals, couples and families at a private practice in the western suburbs. She has authored two books on ethics: one for primary-aged children and one for junior high/high school aged youth. Yadgir earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Counseling Education from Northern Illinois University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Illinois.